Making the Case
By Tom Firth
Yikes, this hasn’t been the finest year for the books, and seems like there are plenty of reasons to wish a farewell to 2025, and welcome in 2026 with all the optimism, cheer, and resilience we can muster.
This month, it’s mostly wines for the holiday season, and a little heavy on sparkling wines too. The reason being, that sparkling wines, including the wines of Champagne, are fun – dammit. The act of opening, sharing, and enjoying a bottle of the bubbly is celebratory in nature, and these wines are just tasty and versatile if food or entertaining is in the cards.
Myself, I’m more likely to get up early on Jan 1st than to stay up late the night before, but that doesn’t mean that sharing a bottle with friends or family won’t happen once or twice over the month of December – even at brunch!
I also want to share a couple of ports, which are lifelong favourites of mine, and while they can be a little decadent, if you have a couple of people to share it with (even over a few days), the bottle does find itself emptying. Even at my home, I am more likely to enjoy a wee glass of port instead of a filling dessert towards the end of the evening.
However you find yourself enjoying (or dreading) the holidays, it is my sincerest wish that you have a safe, happy, and restorative holiday season.
Find these wines by searching the CSPC code at Liquorconnect.com; your local liquor store can also use this code to order it for you. Prices are approximate.
Parés Baltà NV Brut Cava, Spain
Another beautiful sparkler from Spain and from the Penedes region. Made from macabeo, parellada, and xarel-lo, this is tightly wound, zesty, and full of pear and green apple fruits, a white blossom character, and textbook mineral notes. A crowd pleasing wine at a very good price too, it’s an easy match with poultry, charcuterie, fresh nuts, and seafoods.
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CSPC $23-26
Veuve Clicquot NV Brut, Champagne, France
One of my most, absolute favourite, widely available champagnes. Veuve Clicquot has a little more than most in the blend of pinot noir making for a brighter, more structured wine with plenty of room for citrus, spice, mineral, and a lovely toastiness. Best of all is the long, graceful finish which really calls for another sip, another toast, and another glass.
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CSPC 563338 $76-81
Champagne Gardet NV Brut Tradition, Champagne, France
Equal parts of pinots meunier and noir with 10 percent chardonnay. The operative word for this dynamic bottle is - elegant. Opulent, but still subtle berry fruits with intense mineral presence, and a lifted, crusty bread element all showing great balance over the palate. A pleasant surprise and an easy wine to enjoy. Classy, fresh, and expressive wine for a nice occasion.
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CSPC 589788 $70-75
Moët & Chandon NV Imperial Brut, Champagne, France
Most of the blend here is with the red grapes of Champagne, and the wine that makes it carries more of the bright, apple-driven fruits, some citrus, and a prominent character of delicate floral notes. Slightly creamy towards the mid-palate, this is one of the best known producers of champagne, and it’s easy to understand why. Brilliant, tasty, and suitable for any evening.
CSPC 453084 $75-80
Rosehall Run 2021 Traditional Method Brut Rosé, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Polished and expressive – a true gem to enjoy. Scents of tart cranberry with touches of wild berry notes, but also a clean herb and mineral character really exhibiting the character pinot noir can bring to a bottle of bubbly. Crisp and dry on the palate too, with balance throughout. This was a bit of a showstopper to try, and sure to please fans of blanc de noir style sparkling wines. Delicious.
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CSPC 134810 $29-33
Pere Ventura NV Reserva Brut Cava, Spain
The sparkling wines of Spain, known as “Cava” are having a wonderful time in the sun these days. Made with an eye to quality, they are using traditional grapes, but typically releasing wines a little sooner helping them show excellent value. Here, look for tart apple fruits, flinty mineral tones, and a zesty, citrus finish. Wines like this are awesome with seafood, creamy dishes, and salty snacks.
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CSPC 854113 $21-25
Taittinger NV Brut Reserve, Champagne, France
A classic expression of champagne with a wonderful creaminess from the chardonnay, but that lean acidy and fruit from the pinot noir and pinot meunier with mineral presence and toastiness. What I enjoy best from this house is the sheer drinkability of the wine and its ability to please a varied crowd. Widely available in a number of bottle formats suitable for larger gatherings and intimate ones.
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CSPC 40873 $80-85
Noble Ridge 2018 “The One” Sparkling Wine, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
This beautiful wine comes from one of my favourite wineries in Okanagan Falls and is one that we see actually has a vintage date on it. This little bit of aging on the 2018 vintage – which is current - brings a more abundant toastiness to the palate, but also a little butteriness too. This all plays so well with pear and raspberry fruit, sleek acids, and a lengthy, graceful finish. A delightful wine.
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CSPC 469194 $35-40
Père Ventura Tresor NV Cuvee Barrique Cava, Spain
This bottle literally fell into my lap, and I am so glad it did. A blend of xarello and chardonnay and aged in barrique, citrus and honey show on the nose with abundant barrel notes and some yeastiness throughout. Full flavoured, complex, and laden with breadcrust and mineral characters offsetting some of the fuller acids and tartness. A pleasure to drink and a wine that hits well above its price.
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CSPC 854175 $33-35
Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine NV Brut, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
One of the great sparkling wines we see here from Ontario, the blend is primarily chardonnay, lending a richer, creamier expression, with a fine mousse, mild nuttiness, and a toasty, biscuit finish. Very much made in the style of champagne, this is a very fine match with oysters if that is your thing, but also creamy cheese, buttered popcorn for a movie night, or as Canadian-made toasting wine.
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CSPC 217521 $41-45
Rosehall Run 2021 Indigo Sparkling Wine, Ontario
The epitome of a fun and “fab” bottle of bubbly with a little bit of sweetness and made in a refreshing, juicier style. Made with about 50 percent gewürztraminer, along with riesling, muscat ottonel, and a wee bit of chardonnay, there is a little bit of sweetness (about 12 grams residual sugar), but it all goes to intensifying the tropical fruits, and softer floral notes. A lovely weekday wine or accompaniment for casual get togethers.
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CSPC 32391 $23-26
Taylor Fladgate First Estate Ruby Port, Douro, Portugal
A luscious, ready to drink port that checks all the boxes of intense, blackberry and slightly herbal or brambly berry fruits with abundant sweetness we expect from those ruby ports. Not over the top by any means, with less of the unctuousness that some rubies carry. Fresh, rather juicy, and perhaps a little more complex than other examples with a long, graceful finish. Try pairing with good chocolate, excellent cheese, or a good movie. Drink now.
CSPC 309401 $25-29
Sandeman 10 year Old Tawny Port, Douro, Portugal
An absolute banger of a tawny with fine balance between fruit and barrel notes yielding a toasty, caramel character offset by a little dried fruit presence of cherry and cranberry, even a hint of strawberry. Tawny ports evolve in the barrel, softening the intense fruit and bringing along a clean, oxidative, nuttiness that pairs extremely well with nuts, creamy blue cheeses, bitter chocolate, and dried fruits. Bonus – they typically last up to a few weeks once opened.
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CSPC 748525 $40-45
